


Romance At Its Finest?

by Seakays



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Married Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Written for Dramione Valentine Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29134791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seakays/pseuds/Seakays
Summary: Overhearing her younger co-workers discussing their upcoming Valentine's dates, Hermione tries to up the romance quotient  with her husband of 15 years.  But you know what they say about the best laid plans.For the prompt:  Finding the romance amongst 3 kids, 2 demanding jobs and a home.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 16
Kudos: 56
Collections: Dramione Valentine Exchange





	Romance At Its Finest?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TakingFlight48](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakingFlight48/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [DramioneValentineExchange](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/DramioneValentineExchange) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Finding the romance amongst, 3 kids, 2 demanding jobs, and a home.  
> This was written for TakingFlight48, in the Dramione Valentine exchange. I had a lot of fun writing this, because a lot of it feels that it could be taken directly from my own life. 
> 
> Forever blessed to have the alpha/beta skills of RdLentz8. She is amazing, and makes everything I write so much better.
> 
> All canon characters, plots, dialogue and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work.

“So, Dustin’s taking me to _The Glazed Lantern_ for dinner at seven, and then you just know I am going to let him unwrap me later, because this Muggle lingerie is f-i-n-e, and it needs to be seen.”

“Witch, you are so lucky. Dustin Drinkwater is hotter than Hades himself. Tully and I are doing the classic Valentine’s day date. Couples massage at ten, champagne and strawberries at Crème de la Cauldron, and then we are seeing that new ballet, La Bayadere at Cirque. You know, just the same old boring February 14th stuff. I’m telling you, Stace, all men’s creativity goes out the window once you’re married.”

Hermione smiled to herself as she stood listening to her two interns. _Oh, to be twenty-five again._ Knowing they wouldn’t appreciate their boss listening in too long on their conversations, she cleared her throat and had to swallow a laugh as the two girls startled.

“Oh, good morning, Mrs. Malfoy. We were just discussing the Dragonroot patent case. We’ll have the brief on your desk before noon.” As Stacey and Marigold scurried away, Hermione couldn’t resist a parting shot.

“Stacey, I’m thrilled to hear that my _La Perla_ catalogue was so useful. Next time put it back on the left side of my credenza, not the right.” Listening to Stacey’s _eep,_ and muffled _, “Shit,”_ Hermione smirked.

_Damn, teasing interns was just so much fun._

As she fixed her coffee, Hermione realized that her sarcasm had been definitely influenced by her husband of fifteen years. As her thoughts drifted to her husband, Hermione could not help but compare the Valentine’s plans of her two interns to that of hers and Draco’s. 

Romance had definitely taken a back seat over the past decade once the kids had arrived. Not that she would trade them for every galleon in her vault, but the stress of two highly magical children, two demanding careers, and the upkeep on their home in Ottery St. Catchpole, not to mention the cottage in Inverness… well, let’s just say, they were lucky to have five minutes to drink coffee together, let alone have the long, passionate, romantic nights they used to have when they were first married.

Not that they were much different than any of their friends. Just last week, Ginny had shared that when her and Blaise had found themselves without children in the afternoon for the first time in months, they had both looked at each other, smiled, ordered takeaway, and watched the latest season of The Crown. 

But while misery certainly loved company, Hermione missed her husband, and she knew Draco missed their time together as well. With Draco in Japan until the 14th, the smartest damn witch of their age was going to prove the veracity of her moniker and prepare a Valentine’s Day evening so romantic that Draco Malfoy would still be recovering from it on St. Patrick’s Day.

** 9:00 pm – February 14 **

It was all ruined. She was officially the dimmest witch of her age. She had been late getting her order in for dinner, and instead of the beautiful rack of lamb and black forest cake that was Draco’s favourite, the shop had substituted meatloaf and mincemeat tarts. She could have made do with that, but then her parents had to renege on watching Lyra for the night, so she had bribed her six-year-old with way too much sugar and the promise of a playdate with Ron and Luna’s twins on the weekend. Lyra had been wired the entire night, promptly vomiting right before her 8 pm bedtime. 

Wrangling the sobbing, sodden mess of a child into the shower had resulted in Hermione’s lovely new green silk blouse being ruined, and her artfully crafted updo a wild and frizzy mess. Throwing cleaning and refreshing spells all over the bathroom while Lyra was crawling into bed, Hermione remembered that all the lights in the house were still on, and Lyra’s favourite bedtime song Skidamarink-a-dink-dink was playing loudly on repeat throughout. Throwing on her old blue housecoat, shoving her hair into a scrunchie, she prayed that her husband’s portkey would be late. 

_POP_

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my sexy sinful swot. I just had a pepperup and I am raring …. to see my little Lyra lizard.” 

Hermione closed her eyes in defeat, as she heard her husband’s voice change from sultry to _Daddy_ just as she heard Lyra, shriek, “Daddy, I puked all over Mummy, come see.”

Lyra led her father to the base of the stairs, where he found his normally unflappable wife slouched down on the bottom step, her eyes filled with tears. 

“Come on, Lyra Lizard, let's get you to bed.” Draco squeezed past Hermione on the stairs giving her shoulders a quick squeeze. 

Hermione tried to fix things while Draco was upstairs, she really did, but after a long day at work, so many small disappointments, and knowing she still had a bit of the sour stench of vomit in her hair, her heart just wasn’t in it. So, when her gorgeous husband came down the stairs, she glanced down at her ugly robe, and bare feet and promptly burst into tears.

Never comfortable with Hermione’s tears, Draco simply gathered her into his arms and whispered nonsense words into her hair. They sat like that until her sobs subsided, and just as Hermione went in for a kiss, and a “Hello, husband”, Draco’s stomach growled forcefully. 

Hermione laughed wetly, as Draco asked gently, “Don’t suppose there is any supper in the cooker?”

On the very edge of dissolving into tears again, Hermione glanced again at her husband, the love of her life, and knew right there and then that the romance was in the little things, not the grand declarations.

The romance was in the pizza, wings, and beer she ordered to be delivered by floo, as Draco pitched the meatloaf and tarts.

Romance was in the way Draco changed diapers and kitty litter without blinking an eye.

Romance was in the kindness and care he showed her Muggle parents as they navigated the Wizarding world.

Romance was in the way he prepared her coffee with just the right amount of cream.

Romance was in the way they were a team in all things. When Scorpius had been bullied at Hogwarts. When Draco had been denied service at the local tavern. When they had lost a pregnancy just as they had found out its existence. They were a team, and they were better together.

Romance was in the gorgeous first edition of _The Tale of Genji_ he had brought home with him from Japan because he knew it would mean more to her than diamonds or flowers.

Romance was where you found it. In the little things that were so normal and so mundane that they were easy to pass over and easier to forget. And for Draco and Hermione, romance could also be found underneath that dirty blue bathrobe, because Hermione Jean Malfoy didn’t have that La Perla catalogue just to entertain her interns. She was a certified Platinum member.

Seeing her husband’s eyes darken, and hearing him growl, “You are in trouble now, wife,” Hermione knew that she would take her version of romance over any dinner or massage out there.

Of course, they would have to negotiate which of them would be taking Lyra to the playdate with the Weasley twins, and as Draco ran his hands slowly up her legs to the pink bows on the sides of her knickers, she knew he didn’t stand a chance. Hermione Malfoy was very good at negotiating.


End file.
